After three failed attempts, Colorado has finally landed a Race to the Top grant.

"We're extremely happy," said state Education Commissioner Robert Hammond. "Obviously there's been a lot of hard work and disappointment in the past. Even though this is a reduced amount, we believe it will be extremely helpful."

Colorado was one of seven states that won money for this round of Race to the Top. The fund was set aside for finalists that didn't receive money in the second round.

Nine states were eligible for a share of $200 million provided by Congress. Colorado received $17.9 million.

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said all the states funded in this round were finalists that had already earned the department's trust.

"We had a high level of confidence in these states," Duncan said. "We were simply looking for them to articulate their plans and ideas."

Because the grants are smaller than in the first two rounds — Colorado had originally applied for $175 million — the original phase's two applications had to be rewritten to limit the scope.

Putting together the application cost the state $60,000 this year, but the cost was covered with funds that education advocacy groups helped raise.

Colorado focused on four areas covering two projects: implementation of new state standards, including creating assessments and teaching resources for each new standard; and implementing educator evaluation systems.

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"We've really been moving forward on this work anyway, so it will accelerate the momentum," said Jill Hawley, the state Education Department's chief of staff and strategy. "We've had such a demand for our services around educator effectiveness. We expect we will be able to reach more districts."

Duncan, who called Colorado a leader in education, said it was the state's persistence with reform that impressed him.

"Colorado didn't stop their reforms," Duncan said. "They are pushing forward with or without our investment. That's exactly the attitude we want."

Half of the money will be distributed directly to interested school districts in the coming months. The rest will help beef up centralized state support, through at least four full-time staff members and additional regional employees who will help school districts train teacher and principal evaluators.

Last week, the federal Department of Education announced winners in the third round of funding for early-childhood education programs. Colorado — one of 37 states to apply for a portion of the $500 million available — had hoped to bring home nearly $60 million but finished 12th, three spots away from the money.